Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-06-16
light far up the mountain side waved


three times back and forth.
1.-THE boys seem to be expecting of
me-" he muttered. I'm dubious to
know if they'un I'll recognize rae any
better'n these yer wimmen.
He rose quietly, replacing his beard.
put on his outer garments. and slipped
cautiously through the window. Had
he been listening closely, he might
have heard a slight sound as of
some one moving within the
house. But intent on his own pur-
poses, he stole across the little clearing
and entered the forest by winding
trail like one familiar with the sur
roundings. He soon came to a mount
ain spring. where the clear water
dubbed up from basin of solid rock.
There he sat down on alog and waited
A light footstep sounded upon the
gravely path, and through the star
light he beheld the dim outlines of a
woman's form. It was Fluridy Ann.
THE boys hev done left this fer ye."
she said. hastily, 'but wasn't ter give
it ter yer ontwell I knowd We under
stood the signal"
He struck match, and bending
over, read the following rude scrawl
on dirty piece of yellow wrapping
paper:
ter morrow mite thur will be five
bushels fer We at the KAYE in the gap"
.'Well, child" said he, looking at
her, .'thur won't be any moonshine
ready fer me afore Tomorrow night.
I reckon the old woman won't let me
stop roun d hyaE. She looks mighty
iubous-"
'.She-All of we uns didn't know es
who you mout be. When she RELY
finds out you're after whisky hit'll be
all right. / don't reckon I've ever
seed you before, but yeti tho't-that
is, was sorter in hopes, you mout be
abb ter tell us suthin' consarnin, the
old woman's SON Jase-"
She stopped abruptly. and had there
been light enough he might have seen
bright blush suffusing her face
what! Don't ye RELY know me
after all. Fluridy Amp
He struck another match and re-
moved the beard. She uttered slight
scream. then the next instant he had
her clasped firmly in his arms, while
she sighed forth brokenly:
Il tho't 1 oughter knowd We, but I
wasn't sure-I wasn't sure, We didn' t
know es yer time was out yet"
Il done get a pardon from the GUY
ner. Ye hewitt turned agin me, hev
ye. Fluridy Ann, long of my bein' four
years in the pen?''
For an answer she nestled yet closer
in his arms, then looking up said:
"What will Aunt Rindy say when she
finds out hit was you she almost drove
outen her own house?'
They talked in whisper, yet they did
not hear stealthy step that rusued the
dry leaves some distance behind them
and that noislessly receded as they re-
traced their steps toward the house.
At the edge of the forest they separated,
the seeming peddler seeking his room
first Then Fluridy Ann, with cheeks
flushed exhflaratingly and smile on
her lips, sought her own couch
In the darkness she went TO Aunt
Rindy's bed and found to her alarm
that it was unoccupied. Samanthy' s
heavy breathing was plainly notable.
With vague misgiFings Fluridy Ann
sat down on the side of her bed and lis
tened. Could the stern old woman,
whose maternal tenderness had so
buried itself beneath. morbidly nour-
ished suspicious of the motives of the
outside world in general since her
sons imprisonment-could she be bent
ON sinister designs, at the dead OF
| night against this stranger. Could
Aunt Rindy have followed them?
Fluridy Ann became much alarmed.
The old woman was considered by her
neighbors to be as they expressed it.
| touched in the head and was hardly
responsible at times for her actions.
Her nervous temperament and robust
physique also rendered her capable OF
| any desperate measure an ungovern-
able misanthropic impulse might die
| tate
The girl reflected with throbbing
heart, while an hour went by. Aunt
Rindy did not return. At last she
heard the door Of the peddler's room
softly opened and faint CLEAN of
light met her eye through the crack
between the logs.
Hardly realizing what she did, she
stole out into the back passage, and
beheld Aunt Rindy standing over the
peddler's bed with Alpine knot in one
hand and q butcher knife in the other.
The red glare of the light revealed her
strong, stern features set in an express
sion of malevolent ferocity.
Was she really insane
| The peddler, with his beard on, was
stretched upon his bed, fully dressed.
As Fluridy Ann. suppressing de-
sire to scream, rushed forward and
grasped Aunt Rindy's uplifted arm,
the young man opened his eyes and
looked dazedly at them.
The old woman. seized by a sudden
fury. violently released her arm, but as
the knife descended. the girl flung her.
self upon the mans bosom, exclaim
ing:
'.Hit air our own Jase, Aunt Rindy
Why Jase!-
Her cry ended in a gasp and 6
mo an. The half-demented woman
stood paralyzed. scarce realizing the
meaning of those words, or the muir
derous effect OF her own act, when the
peddler pulled off his conesaling beard
and. bending over the wounded gri
cried outs
What hey We done, mother? Tn